Lorraine’s vineyards

Côtes-de-Toul (AOC) – in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department/region (number 54) in the area around the town of Toul, near Nancy: 87 ha, 800,000 bottles of red (Pinot Noir), white (Auxerrois), sparkling and ‘gris’ (literally grey, a lightly coloured rosé).

Moselle (AOVDQS) - the Moselle’s vineyards (dep. 57 – capital Metz), in the Seille valley on the vales of Metz and Sierck, come to 48 hectares farmed by 23 growers making 2200 hectolitres.

The glory days of Lorraine’s vineyards, expanded by the Dukes of Lorraine and Bishops of Toul, came to an end at the beginning of the 20th Century with the arrival of phylloxera, the First World War, industrialization, competition from the south of France and dramatic rural migration.

With 30,000 ha in 1890, its vineyards were larger than Alsace’s.

A slight renaissance has been encouraged since 1980 (Côtes-de-toul got AOC status in 1998).